Trump Scores Major Win As Russia, Ukraine Agree to Largest Prisoner Swap of the War

President Trump's efforts to bring an end to the nearly five-year war between Russia and Ukraine seem to have yielded a positive result Wednesday. 

After two days of peace talks in Abu Dhabi, which were brokered by the U.S., negotiators for the two countries preliminarily agreed to a prisoner exchange that could see thousands of prisoners of war return home.

Trump adviser (and son-in-law) Jared Kushner, who has been leading the American delegation alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff, announced the agreement Wednesday, saying that the final number of prisoners to be released would be determined on Thursday. 

"One of the positives is we agreed that we're going to have the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners, which we're going to finalize the numbers tomorrow," Kushner told reporters.

Today we achieved an important humanitarian breakthrough, with Ukraine and Russia agreeing in principle to what will be the largest prisoner exchange of the war. This will reunite families, build trust, and create momentum toward peace. Bringing Ukraine and Russia back together for the first trilateral talks since February was an important step. The discussions were serious, detailed, and frank. Both countries shared specific ideas to narrow the gaps and find a path to end the war. In close coordination with Ukraine and our European partners, we have aligned on proposals we will discuss with President Putin in Moscow tomorrow, followed by consultations with President Zelenskyy. President @realDonaldTrump is determined to end this horrible war. Significant differences remain, but we are committed to building on the progress made and advancing toward broader multilateral negotiations that can deliver lasting peace and a sovereign, secure, and prosperous Ukraine.

— Jared Kushner (@jaredkushner) November 11, 2026

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that negotiators had discussed the possibility of exchanging 1,000 prisoners from each side, with the option left open of increasing that number to 1,500 apiece.

Russian officials say the exchange could take place as soon as the next two to three weeks.

Kushner described the negotiations as "a very tough meeting but a productive one," and acknowledged that disputes over territory would be the most difficult issues to resolve on the path to peace.

The U.S. team of Kushner and Witkoff is scheduled to travel to Moscow Thursday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin before heading to Dublin, Ireland, to meet with Zelensky.

President Trump's envoys hope to make even more progress on the issues discussed in Abu Dhabi and explore the possibility of bringing in European representatives for future negotiations.

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